Tag: Mike Boone

Nathaniel Hackett on Broncos RB Melvin Gordon: ‘You can’t put the ball on the ground’

“You can’t put the ball on the ground,” Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said. “It’s that simple.”

On his first carry against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon fumbled, marking the fifth-straight game that he’s fumbled dating back to last season.

Las Vegas recovered the ball and returned it for a touchdown, a key play in a game that was decided by nine points.

After the loss, Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett was asked about the momentum swing when the Raiders took a six-point lead after Denver was driving in a tied game.

“Obviously, anytime you turn the ball over, it’s a big swing,” Hackett said. “That leading to a touchdown on the same recovery, it’s obviously rough …. that’s a hard way to win games whenever you lose the turnover differential and it being a score.”

Making matters worse for the offense, Javonte Williams suffered a knee injury and left the game. Hackett then turned to third-string running back Mike Boone, perhaps a sign that he’s lost patience with Gordon.

“In the end, you can’t put the ball on the ground,” Hackett said. “It’s that simple. We always say take care of the ball, it’s the most important thing. It’s not like he’s trying to do it, we understand that. But we just have to be even better with our ball security across the board. The other guys did a good job, and Melvin had that one.”

Gordon has rushed 37 times for 139 yards and one touchdown this season. Those are decent numbers, but they are overshadowed by his four fumbles through four games. His role in Denver’s offense might now be in jeopardy.

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Fantasy Football: 15 waiver wire targets for Week 5

Here are 15 players you should consider adding off the waiver wire in fantasy football this week.

The Denver Broncos have lost starting running back Javonte Williams for the rest of the 2022 season to a knee injury, leaving Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone as the team’s top two running backs going forward.

Boone is available in most fantasy football leagues and he should be a top priority waiver-wire target this week. Gordon has fumbled four times through the first four weeks of the season, which might open the door for Boone to get an increased workload.

Elsewhere on the injury front, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is dealing with an ankle injury. Taylor “has a chance” to play on Thursday Night Football this week, but his backup, Nyheim Hines should be a top target on the waiver wire for Week 5.

And another injury to note — Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson is going on injured reserve with a knee injury, leaving Tyler Allgeier as Atlanta’s presumed starting running back for at least the next four weeks.

Those three running backs headline this week’s list of the top 15 waiver wire targets. The list also includes options at wide receiver, tight end and quarterback. Let’s get to it:

Tests confirm catastrophic knee injury for Broncos RB Javonte Williams

Three major torn ligaments have ended Williams’ season and put the start to 2023 in jeopardy.

Tests revealed Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (knee) tore his anterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament and posterolateral corner in Sunday’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Needless to say, his 2022 season is over.

Catastrophic indeed. Two of four torn knee ligaments is a devastating blow to any player’s future, especially at running back. The most relevant recent comparison with similar ligament tears is New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. He returned to get drafted and star as a Pro Bowler in the NFL, and though one can argue the physicality of playing running back differs from that of cornerback, this isn’t entirely a fantasy death sentence for the second-year rusher. Both positions require tremendous lateral movements skills, and it’s entirely possible Williams never will be the same back again.

Williams’ start to 2023 is in jeopardy at this point, but the immediate focus is on where to turn for help in fantasy football for the remainder of 2022. The obvious place to turn is Williams’ backfield mates, Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone. The former should handle most of the work, including the early-down chores, whereas the latter is a better target in PPR. Boone isn’t likely to have as much value, though, and his utilization figures should pale in comparison to Gordon.

The former Charger is owned in most leagues, yet it remains worthy of your time to take a quick peek. Boone, however, should be universally available and becomes a depth addition of moderate priority.

Given the nature of how important the position is in fantasy, finding valid replacements on the wire will be next to impossible in most competitive formats. With bye weeks a Sunday away, there will be plenty of games in which managers will be forced to plug their nose and field just about any back with a pulse. Be sure to check out our latest Free-Agent Forecast release that covers waiver targets.

Update: Running back Latavius Murray was signed away from the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad. The 32-year-old looked spry in Week 4 action but doesn’t offer much that can’t be found in Gordon, aside from improved ball security. Murray is not a quality receiver, and he’s not a breakaway threat. Add him as a fringe backup, especially if you had handcuffed Gordon to Williams.

3 takeaways from Broncos’ 23-13 win over Vikings

After the Broncos’ win over the VIkings, here are some of the biggest takeaways going into Week 1.

The Denver Broncos won their preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday evening. There could be a bunch of takeaways from this game, but we are only going to focus on the top three as the team wraps up preseason.

Broncos stock up/down: Risers and fallers after final preseason game

After the Broncos’ 23-13 win over the Vikings, there are many decisions to be made. Who stood out from this contest?

After a 10-point victory in their final preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Denver Broncos now have significant decisions to make by whittling the roster from 80 players down to 53. Here are six aspects of the game that the Denver decision-makers will look at to aid their conclusions.

Here are the ‘Madden NFL 23’ ratings for Broncos running backs

Melvin Gordon (83 OVR) is the top #Broncos running back in #Madden23, followed by Javonte Williams (82 OVR) and Mike Boone (67 OVR).

(Courtesy: EA Sports)

EA Sports has been rolling out ratings for Madden NFL 23 position-by-position this week, with running backs revealed on Wednesday.

For the Denver Broncos, Melvin Gordon (83 overall) is the team’s top option in the backfield, followed by Javonte Williams (82 OVR), Mike Boone (67 OVR) and Damarea Crockett (59 OVR).

Madden did not include undrafted rookie Tyreik McAllister in the game’s initial roster. Andrew Beck, the team’s fullback/tight end, isn’t in the game, either.

Gordon has a slightly better overall rating than Williams, but the second-year running back has better acceleration (91 vs. 88) and strength (80 vs. 74) ratings than the veteran. Gordon has better agility (89 vs. 85) and more awareness (83 vs. 79) than Williams in the video game.

EA Sports also released the ratings for kickers Wednesday. Denver’s Brandon McManus is 78 overall, with 96 kick power and 79 kick accuracy.

Up next are cornerback and defensive line ratings released on Thursday, followed by quarterbacks and full team ratings on Friday.

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Broncos tryout 8 players, sign QB to practice squad

The Broncos added QB Anthony Gordon to the practice squad and made several other roster moves Tuesday.

The Denver Broncos hosted eight players for tryouts on Tuesday and made several roster moves, including adding a quarterback. Here’s a quick recap of the team’s transactions.

Broncos inactives: 5 players won’t play vs. Bengals

Broncos inactives: DL Dre’Mont Jones (foot), ILB Kenny Young (concussion), DB Caden Sterns (shoulder/neck), CB Michael Ojemudia and QB Brett Rypien.

The Denver Broncos have announced their list of five inactive players for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Broncos defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones (foot), inside linebacker Kenny Young (concussion), safety Caden Sterns (shoulder/neck), cornerback Michael Ojemudia and quarterback Brett Rypien are inactive today.

Shamar Stephen and DeShawn Williams will fill in for Jones on the defensive line and Jonas Griffith is expected to start at linebacker in the place of Young.

Denver running back Mike Boone and outside linebacker Malik Reed also won’t play today but they are not officially inactive because they do not count against the active roster while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Broncos also on Saturday activated safety P.J. Locke from the Reserve/COVID-19 list to the 53-man roster. To make room for Locke on the active roster, Denver waived cornerback Essang Bassey. If he clears waivers, Bassey will likely be re-signed to the practice squad next week.

Sunday’s game will begin at 2:05 p.m. MT on CBS (view the TV map).

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Mike Boone made his case for a bigger role in 2022 on SNF

With Melvin Gordon scheduled to become a free agent in 2022, Broncos RB Mike Boone might be poised to take on a bigger role next season.

The Denver Broncos have a pair of top running backs in Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, so there’s not really any room for Mike Boone to enter the rotation on offense (he has been a key player on special teams, though).

Last week, Gordon was out with an injury, which led to Williams’ first NFL start (and he didn’t disappoint). Gordon’s injury also finally gave Boone an opportunity to contribute on offense as the team’s No. 2 running back.

Boone rushed four times for 35 yards, logging his first rushing attempts of the season. He also caught his second pass of the year, turning it into a 19-yard gain. Denver couldn’t have asked for much more than 54 yards on five touches.

“I thought he did well,” coach Vic Fangio said after the game. “He hadn’t played in a live game since whenever that was with Minnesota. He had no preseason action, no carries [and just one] catches in any of the games this year. Under those circumstances in a game like that, I think he played really well.”

Once Gordon returns from injury, Boone will go back to his rarely-used RB3 role, but Gordon is scheduled to become a free agent in 2022. After a strong performance on “Sunday Night Football,” Boone has made a case that he will deserve serious RB2 consideration behind Williams next season.

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Broncos inactives: View which players won’t play vs. Eagles

Bad news: Broncos are without both starting offensive tackles, their backup QB and their offensive coordinator against Eagles. Good news: CB Pat Surtain will play!

The Denver Broncos have announced that left tackle Garett Bolles (ankle), right tackle Bobby Massie (ankle), running back Mike Boone (ribs), defensive lineman McTevin Agim (knee), defensive back Essang Bassey, cornerback Mac MccCain and safety Jamar Johnson are inactive for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain (knee) has been cleared to play.

Denver’s backup quarterback, Drew Lock, and offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann are also unavailable this week. Lock and Schlottmann are not on the inactive list because they do not count against the active roster while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, but they won’t play.

Brett Rypien will serve as the team’s backup QB behind Teddy Bridgewater this week. Calvin Anderson is expected to start at left tackle with Bolles sidelined and Cam Fleming will likely start at right tackle in the place of Massie.

The Broncos will also be without offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who is in COVID-19 protocol. Quarterbacks coach Mike Shula will call the team’s offensive plays against the Eagles with Shurmur unavailable.

Denver is considered a 2.5-point favorite against Philadelphia. Sunday’s game, scheduled to begin at 2:25 p.m. MT, will be broadcast regionally on select Fox channels (view the TV broadcast map here).

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